plugged tear duct

kimarino13

Anyone's LOs have this?  Poor Lily's right eye has been acting up the past few days and it's is a mess.  It's oozing and inflamed from us massaging it and patting it with a warm washcloth.  I feel so awful.  What else can I be doing to help her? When did your LO's plugged tear duct go away?

Thanks!

MrsDonnelly2007

Roman had a blocked tear duct in the NICU and the dr. just told the nurses to use a warm wash cloth and "milk it" (start in the corner of the eye and gently push and move your finger down)  It went away I'd say by the next day almost completely.

susanc07

MrsDonnelly2007:

Roman had a blocked tear duct in the NICU and the dr. just told the nurses to use a warm wash cloth and "milk it" (start in the corner of the eye and gently push and move your finger down)  It went away I'd say by the next day almost completely.

nora had the same thing.  the NICU nurse "milked it" every 3 hours while doing her cares and it was gone in a day or so.

kimarino13

Ugh.  I have been doing this and it's not helping.  Maybe I haven't been pushing correctly though.

I am all freaked out because of of my brothers had plugged ducts until he was like 2 years old and my mom said the doctor had to take a wire to his eye to unplug it.  They had her and my dad wait outside the building (!!!) when they did it because they didn't use anesthesia.  OMG, can you imagine?  I am sure it's different now.  That was 25 years ago, but still...  (He eventually needed tubes in his eyes.)

kimarino13

Oh, and she has had this on and off for 6 weeks now. 

jacobandcrystal

Our younger son had one and we just massaged it a few times a day.  I actually didn't mess with it too much besides that.  It cleared up on its own pretty quickly.

clarku2000

I don't have any advice, but poor girl (and poor mom)!  I hope the doctors can help clear it up for her soon.

jacobandcrystal

kimarino13:

I am all freaked out because of of my brothers had plugged ducts until he was like 2 years old and my mom said the doctor had to take a wire to his eye to unplug it.  They had her and my dad wait outside the building (!!!) when they did it because they didn't use anesthesia.  OMG, can you imagine?  I am sure it's different now.  That was 25 years ago, but still...  (He eventually needed tubes in his eyes.)

We do know someone whose baby ended up needing surgery for it, but I'm sure it's much more gentle and less scary than your brother's experience was 25 years ago!  Don't worry too much, just keep an eye on it. It probably bothers you more than it bothers her : )

It also took a few weeks for our little guy's to clear up to the point that I didn't notice it anymore.  (That's what I thought was quick... but then I read pp's that said it was only a day!)

Shannon&Alan

one of my girls STILL has a blocked tear duct.  and she is going on 7 mos old.  one girl had it for about 2 months and the one that still has it i continue to massage and do what i'm suppose.  I know some babies it goes away very quicly and others well they need to unblocked it.  My pedi says it should clear up by 8 or 9 months (yes months) and if not then they have to go in and unblock it!

Melin086

Nolan had a plugged tear duct and it didn't go away until he was close to a year old.  Our pedi actually gave us the card to the doctor we needed to see 2 weeks before he was a year old because she said it probably wouldn't clear up in 2 weeks.  Wouldn't you know it cleared up and we didn't have to deal with it.

 My nephew also had a plugged tear duct and had to have tubes put in his eyes.  My brother and SIL said it really wasn't that bad.